Chico Alliance Church
Pastor David Welch
“A Defeated Church” 1 Corinthians 6:1-20
Review
I. Reproof for fleshly behavior 1-6
A. Reproof for a divided church 1-4
1. Opening appeal for unity 1:10-17
• He encouraged them to unity
• He exposed their disunity
• He confronted their man-centeredness
2. The Biblical foundation for Unity 1:18-4:5
a) Focus on the priority of Christ and the cross 1:18-31
(1) Stop focusing on mere men with their limited power and wisdom
(2) God established Christ and the crucifixion as the focal point of the universe
(3) God deliberately uses the weak things of the world to keep the focus on Christ.
(4) If you are going to speak or boast or unify around someone, let it be Christ
b) Depend on the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit 2:1-3:4
(1) Paul preached in the power of the Holy spiritual growth
(2) The Holy Spirit enlightens believers to the truth
c) Faithfully serve as partners for the Kingdom of God 3:6-4:5
(1) All are servants of the same Master 3:5
So keep focused on your part.
(2) God alone generates growth
So make sure He gets the credit.
(3) All Play on the same team 3:8a
So focus on kingdom growth
(4) Each servant will be individually responsible and rewarded
3. Closing appeal for unity
B. Reproof for a defiled church 5
1. Paul concisely exposed the sin
a) Sin in the church - immorality
b) Sin of the church -- arrogance
2. Paul clearly explained a Biblical response to the sinner 3-5
a) Severely judged the erring member
Turned over to the to Satan for the destruction of the flesh in order to preserve the soul,
b) Soundly admonished the erring church to deal with the sin
(1) Removed the sinner from inside the church 6b-8
• An arrogant attitude is not good
• Unaddressed sin breeds more sin
• Deal with sin in order to demonstrate the righteousness of Christ
• Christ died to make us clean on the inside.
• Continually celebrate the Lord’s Supper with sincerity and truth not the old sins.
• Remove the sin from the church
(2) Disassociate with the sinner outside the church.
• You can’t avoid associating with unbelieving sinners
• We must disassociate with those who continually sin and still claim to be believers.
• We must judge those within the church NOT outside.
C. Reproof for a defeated church 6
1. Defeated by lawsuits before unbelievers 1-8
a) Principle #1 Don’t you know that we will judge the world, angels and the matters of this world?
b) Practice
(1) We dare not got to court before the unrighteous 1
(2) We should be able to judge these matters in the church 2-3
(3) The unrighteous are of no account in church matters 4
(4) It is a shame that no one in the church can arbitrate 5-6
(5) It is a defeat for believers to sue each other 7
(6) It is better to suffer wrong than sue 8
c) Principle 6:9-11
Don’t you know that the unrighteous have no part in the kingdom?
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
In the context Paul is not trying to make a statement about specific actions that keep you out of the kingdom. He is trying to make a point about the absolute folly of allowing the unrighteous to judge arbitrate the matters of the church. The unrighteous have no place in God’s kingdom. Paul amplifies the unrighteous in character by specifying the kind of character that characterizes the unrighteous. It Paul were teaching that committing any of the above infractions disqualified one from the kingdom, not one of us would be qualified.
In contrast to those who are stuck in a destructive pattern, saints have been washed, sanctified and justified in the name of Christ and by the Spirit of God.
2. Defeated by improper behavior 5:12-20
a) Principles of freedom 12
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
It is not a question of legality or even right or wrong. It is a question of benefit.
It is a question of control. Two questions among seven we will encounter along the way that should be asked concerning any action or behavior.
Will it benefit me or others?
Not what is wrong with something but what is right with it?
Not will it hurt me but will it help me?
Not is it palatable but is it profitable?
Will it dominate me?
Because of the work of Christ we no longer have to be slaves to sin. Romans 6:5-7, 6:12-14
b) Bodyguard truths “Don’t you know that” 13-20
(1) The body is for the Lord and the Lord is for the body 13-14
Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.
Paul reminded them that God designed food to benefit the stomach and the stomach to digest food. Immorality does not benefit the body and the body was not designed to digest immorality.
He designed the body to benefit the Lord and the Lord benefits the body.
In fact the Lord will resurrect the body just as He did the body of Jesus.
Romans 12:1; 1 Cor. 10:31 Philip. 1:20 1 Cor. 9:25-27
We are body soul and sprit. It is the way God made us. We are material and immaterial.
There is something special to this body made from dust. It is a most marvelous creation with a delicate balance. Damaging consequences result every time we give our bodies to be used for something outside of God’s design.
(2) Your bodies are joined with Christ 15-17
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?
We are the bride of Christ which includes our bodies. In some strange way our actual body is connected to Jesus in a spiritual way just as sexual intercourse connects two people on every level of our being – body, soul and spirit. What we do in our bodies in some way affects Jesus. That is why we will be judged by the deeds done in the body.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Cor. 5:10
The application question then has to do with the use of our bodies for immoral purposes.
Shall I then take away the members of Christ and join them with an immoral person? May it never be!
Sex is a much spiritual as it is physical and emotional. Whenever one interacts on a sexual level there is a spiritual level involved not only between the two people but with God and evil spirits.
Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to an immoral person for a moment become one with them? For He says, "THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH." But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Cor. 6:16-17
There is much to be explored from that sentence.
But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
I will try to tackle that one at a later time.
(3) Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? 19
(4) You are not your own but have been bought with a price? 19-20
Christians have a spiritual dimension not experienced by others. Not only are we connected to Christ and whatever we do in our body affects Him, but our bodies a temple through which the Holy Spirit longs to operate. The temple was where God chose to manifest His glory. The temple was where God communicated to man. The temple was where men could come to find God.
The Holy Spirit lives in the body of the believers to manifest the glory of God, communicate to us and others and to be a place where people could sense the presence of God. Not only are we the Spirit’s temple, our body does not even belong to us anymore. We were purchased at a high price. We are bond slaves to Jesus Christ to be used as He sees fit. God calls us to holiness based on the great sacrifice of Jesus to buy us back from slavery. 1 Peter 1:17-19
Paul’s application of these truths is simple in verse 18.
Flee immorality! Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.
Flee immorality because when you engage in sexual sin, it involves your whole being including your body which affects Jesus as well as violates the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man defiles the temple of God, God will defile him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. 1 Cor. 3:16-17
No matter the degree, immorality to any degree brings damage to the soul and the body because it is a violation against design for all people and a violation against God for the Christian. Many carry soul damage today because they have never really repented of misusing God’s temple. The consequences of covering sin are grave. Listen to King David in Psalm 32:3-5
When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.
I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; and You forgave the guilt of my sin.
What are some of those consequences? Listen to Paul. 2 Cor. 12:19-21
Today we come to celebrate our union with Christ. Communion illustrates intimacy with Christ. It is a public declaration of commitment. There is no intimacy without cleansing.
There is no communion with the cross. There is no healing without confession and repentance. Come, celebrate communion with Jesus by way of the cross.
